Using public Medicare data for referral planning

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publish files describing services billed by clinicians and activity at facilities. They are public and contain no patient identities.

What they can suggest

• Which practices in a county see many Medicare patients.
• Which clinicians bill for services related to home health oversight.
• Which hospitals and facilities discharge the most patients.

What to keep in mind

The files lag by a year or more and suppress small numbers. Use them to decide where to look, and confirm on the ground.